C O A L I T I O N FOR PAY EQUITY Annual Report 2004-2005 Coalition for Pay Equity 154 Queen St., Moncton, New Brunswick E1C 1K8 Tel.: (506) 855-0002 Fax: (506) 854-9728 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.equite-equity.com ISSN 2561-8806 (Print) ISSN 2561-8814 (Online) CONTENTS Annual Report 2004-2005 2 Contents ............................................................................................. 2 Message from the Chair ......................................................................... 4 Message from the Coordinator................................................................ 5 Board .................................................................................................. 6 Employees ........................................................................................... 6 Financial partners ................................................................................. 6 Who are we? ........................................................................................ 7 Background ......................................................................................... 7 An award for Huberte Gautreau .............................................................. 7 On the Political scene ............................................................................ 8 Awareness & communication activities .................................................... 9 Standing Committees ........................................................................... 10 Regional committees ............................................................................ 12 Volunteers .......................................................................................... 17 In Partnership ..................................................................................... 17 Members ............................................................................................ 23 Annual financial report – Year ended March 31, 2004 ............................... 25 Annual financial report – Year ended March 31, 2005 ............................... 34 Annual Report 2004-2005 3 MESSAGE FROM THE CHA IR The Coalition for Pay Equity has travelled an impressive path this past year. In June 2004, Elizabeth Weir, MLA for Saint John Harbour and Leader of the New Democratic Party of New Brunswick, introduced our Pay Equity Legislation at the Legislative Assembly, which launched last year’s string of events. Our Pay Equity Bill includes all the necessary elements for the implementation of pay equity in New Brunswick. The Pay Equity Bill was then turned over to the Law Amendment Committee which opted for public hearings in order to allow a debate on this issue. Of the 34 presentations before the committee, 30 were in favour of Pay Equity and this does not include the letters of support. Our hope was that the population of New Brunswick get a chance to voice their opinion on pay equity. I can you assure, it set people talking. However, the Law Amendment Committee’s report is still long-awaited. The positions of the three political parties on Pay Equity have not changed from past years: The Liberals have committed themselves to introducing legislation in all sectors with a consultation with various interveners in the private sector. The Conservatives are still sticking to the recommendations of the Round Table and now the plan of action on the wage gap of the minister responsible for the Status of Women, Margaret-Ann Blaney. The plan of action surprised a few people this past month. Pay Equity will be achieved in the public sector within five years but the private sector will have to wait a while since Government is still looking at voluntary measures for the private sector. Awareness campaigns will be set up in order to change attitudes toward pay equity. The New Democratic Party has not changed its position and continues to support Pay Equity. The unconditional support and cooperation of the unions and other organizations, and the support of our members have been unparalleled. We appreciate their advice and their support. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate one of our own, Huberte Gautreau, who received the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case this year for her dedication and work on women’s issues, particularly her work on Pay Equity and the elimination of violence against women. Congratulations Huberte!!! Very well deserved. Finally, I would like to commend Johanne Perron for her work and dedication to our cause. She’s a treasure; we are very lucky to have a woman of her calibre within our organization. Thank you Johanne. We have made a lot progress with Pay Equity this year, but there is still a lot to do before the women of New Brunswick get their fair share. Louise Guerrette Winchester, Chair Annual Report 2004-2005 4 MESSAGE FROM THE COO RDINATOR It was with pleasure that I came back to my old position in August 2004, and rediscovered my old friends. I also had the joy of meeting many new allies this year. We can say that the Coalition for Pay Equity makes advances for women of New Brunswick. Of course, we still have not reached our ultimate goal: pay equity legislation for the public and private sectors. However, we are getting closer every year. The government’s commitment to reach pay equity in the whole public sector is to be highlighted and celebrated… And then, we’ll go back to work! We’ll have to analyse the implications of the action plan on the wage gap and keep a close eye on the progress made. We also should ensure that there will be an independent evaluation of the progress. However, we clearly need to continue promoting pay equity legislation. After all, the model our members ratified last year has moved along. Who would have thought there would be public hearings as early as November 2004? It will be interesting to see the Law Amendment Committee’s report. An issue to follow in 2005-2006! This year more than ever, the Coalition often asked for its members’ and partners’ support. The public hearings required active participation from many organizations and people, whether they were members of the Coalition or not. The briefs were well documented and showed the importance of legislation. Many people also worked in their region and within our committees, and maintained pay equity in the public eye. Many thanks to all who gave their support to the Coalition this year again. In closing, I want to commend the extraordinary work of Jade Duchesneau Bernier, who brilliantly assumed the position of interim Coordinator, as well as the dynamism and conviction with which Annie Maltais took responsibility for the office and communications and ensured an easy transition between Jade’s departure and my return. I also thank Janelle LeBlanc, intern student from the Université de Moncton, who accomplished a lot in the fall of 2004 – at a moment when her help turned out to be essential! Johanne Perron Coordinator Annual Report 2004-2005 5 BOAR D Chairperson: Louise Guerrette Winchester Past Chairperson: Marylea MacDonald Anglophone Vice-Chair: Marilyn MacCormack Francophone Vice-Chair: Anne-Marie Gammon Secretary-Treasurer: Christine Robichaud North-East Representative: Odette Robichaud South-East Representative: Julia Maillet South Representative: Michèle Caron, Huberte Gautreau Center Representative: Emma Robichaud, Elizabeth Blaney South-West representative: Jackie Matthews North-West Representative: Denyse Mazerolle Interim Coordinator: Jade Duchesneau Bernier Coordinator: Johanne Perron EMPLOYEES Interim Coordinator: Jade Duchesneau Bernier (until May 31, 2004) Communication officer: Annie Maltais (May 16 to August 15, 2004) Coordinator: Johanne Perron (back since August 8, 2004) FINANCIAL PARTNERS We wish to thank Status of Women Canada, who provided essential financial and political support throughout the year. Furthermore, we wish to thank the following organizations for their financial - and political - support: Advisory Council on the Status of Women Association des employés de l’Université de Moncton Canadian Labour Congress Canadian Union of Public Employees Human Resources Development Canada New Brunswick Association of Social Workers New Brunswick Committee of the World March of Women 2000 New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions New Brunswick Federation of Labour New Brunswick Nurses Union New Brunswick Union of Public and Private Employees Public Service Alliance of Canada Annual Report 2004-2005 6 WHO ARE WE? The Coalition for Pay Equity is a group of New Brunswick organizations and individuals advocating for the enactment of pay equity legislation in New Brunswick private and public sectors. Pay equity is equal pay for work of equal value. BACKGROUND On May 23, 1998, the Fédération des dames d’Acadie (now called the Fédération des femmes francophones et acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick) created the Women’s Union for Pay Equity. Underlying the creation of the Women’s Union, was The Fédération des dames d’Acadie’s concern with poverty amongst women – poverty partly resulting from a lack of pay equity. In February 1999, the New Brunswick Committee of the World March of Women 2000 was created. The Committee put forward two demands with regards to women’s rights: pay equity and the elimination of violence against women. On October 13, 2000, representatives of the March Committee and the Women's Union presented the New Brunswick government with a petition carrying almost 30,000 signatures and a social solidarity contract signed by 74 organizations